In "Reading Researchers in Search of Common Ground, Second Edition", Rona F. Flippo revisits her study, in which she set out to find common ground among experts in the much-fragmented field of reading research. The original edition, featuring contributions from participants in the study, commentary from additional distinguished literacy scholars…

This paper reviews four currently recognized modes of inquiry available to reading researchers, including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The paper discusses empiricism, interpretive research, critical science/theory, and action research, briefly describing the purposes, goals, and assumptions underlying each mode of inquiry. The…

Extracts guidelines from research for incorporating vocabulary instruction into the everyday routines of the classroom. (EL)

Noting that research indicating Newbery Medal books are not popular with elementary students in spite of their unquestioned superiority in plot, characterization, and style, a study examined the readability level of Newbery Medal winners from 1974 to 1986. Three readability formulas were used to assess readability: Gunning's Fog Index, Fry…

Intended for teachers, this book reports an assessment of reading achievement in the Irish schools of first year postprimary pupils. Chapters discuss background information, the research procedure, the survey findings, "backwardness" in reading, and the researcher's conclusions. The book concludes with an abstract that lists some of the…

Presents a rationale for instruction in critical reading (i.e., using a questioning attitude, logical analysis, and inference to judge the worth of what is read). Discuss factors involved in critical reading, including previous thinking, attitudes/prejudices, topical knowledge, and knowledge of critical reading skills. (DMM)

Instructional implications of recent reading research are reviewed along with the issue of text readability and the intermediate/advanced language student. A generic approach to the teaching of literary works in a third-year transitional course is then proposed. A student worksheet and recall protocol exercise are appended. (Contains 19…

Addressing issues on developmental education, instructional and learning methods, learning assistance and academic support, and reading and research, this issue of the Journal of College Reading and Learning includes the following articles: "Moving the Mountain to Mohammed: Study Skills Tutoring in the Residence Halls" (J. L. Rogers); "Memory…

Focusing on common misconceptions about children who have trouble learning to read, two papers discuss new ways to think about and teach these students. "Revaluing Readers and Reading," by Kenneth S. Goodman, argues that troubled readers should not be thought of as sufferers from an illness, but as strong, healthy individuals fully…

Two studies carried out by James Squire and Jesse Stuart explored processes used in reading the short story, ways of exploring student's processes, possibilities within the short story as a literary genre, and methods teachers can use. Squire's study showed that introspection and retrospection are useful in studying students' reading processes. In…

The prevailing assumption underlying practice in the classroom is that children acquire most of their new words from context during silent reading. The trouble with learning from silent reading is that many pupils do not read widely or quickly enough. Reading aloud to children will, however, allow them to participate in activity that they all can…

First published in 1934 and updated in 1965 and 1986, Nila Banton Smith's "American Reading Instruction" has provided insight and historical perspective to reading instruction in the United States beginning with the colonial era. This "Special Edition" addresses such areas as theories and practical applications; established and…

This article presents summaries of research on 13 core understandings about learning to read, from "Building a Knowledge Base in Reading" (Jane Braunger and Jan Patricia Lewis). In the article, each core understanding is followed by activity ideas and strategies useful for tutors--these activities were created with one-on-one tutoring in…

The reading habits of 49 elderly adults were surveyed, using the SERA inventory, to examine two hypotheses: there is no difference among elderly adults' perceptions of their reading habits as related to factors of reading skill, preference, physical functioning, attention span/concentration, and emotional well-being, and there are no significant…

To help raise the reading scores and attitudes of selected "at-risk" students from Thomas Jefferson, Springfield Gardens, and Franklin D. Roosevelt High Schools in New York City, a pilot study daily provided students with individual copies of the "New York Daily News" and integrated the use of the paper into regular…